Tag Archives: Geoff Molson

We are sure having a great time this year. And we owe it all to Geoff Molson for reacquiring his family’s famous franchise!Only a Montrealer, deep with history, knows how it is suppose to be.

Here is where our team places in the 30 team league.

Points——–38, We are in 3rd place.. Last week 3rd place.
Goals F——-84, We are in 5th place.. Last week 5th place.
Goals A——-66, We are in 11th place.. Last week 11th place.Goal Diff— +18, We are in 5th place.. Last week +15 for 3rd.

All the while remembering that Boston has 4 games in hand, that is a possible 8 points!

I was fascinated by the first episode of 24CH, and I need more. And more are coming, I just don’t know when yet.

To hear the speeches from Marc Bergevin and Michel Therrien to the boys. To give Dr. Mulder a mulligan by Therrien for walking on the crest on the floor, but told to never do it again; to see an incredibly serious Alex Galchenyuk told by Bergevin and Therrien that he’d made the team.

To see 17,000 Habs fans, who stood in the bitter cold before the free scrimmage at the Bell Centre, and as many came in a certain entrance, there was the entire team was standing in a line to greet them, along with Guy Lafleur, Rejean Houle, and Henri Richard, plus, I’m sure, many others I didn’t see.

To hear Geoff Molson tell us he’d had a lot of time to think about and talk to others about what went wrong last year, and to hear the coach and the general manager say that this year will not be like last year, that there will be no more excuses, that in a shortened season there will be surprises, and it’s the team’s job to be one of those surprises.

Geoff Molson, Pierre Gauthier, and Bob Gainey were in the building for the Canadiens 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers, and what a coincidence to see the big shots gather in Florida. Nice weather, palm trees. Pretty sure you don’t see these three all that often in Winnipeg or Columbus or Minneapolis where there’s a definite shortage of bikinis this time of year.

And it’s great that they saw another feeble effort from the Habs up close and personal. I hope Gauthier is nervous. I’m sure he’s wondering if he’s about to become unemployed. How many millions does he get in his buyout package?

I thought Montreal showed spunk in the first period as they took the lead 2-0. David Desharnais opened the scoring, they managed a 5 on 3 power play goal (Subban), and Ryan White took on Erik Gudbranson in a lively fight at the end of the period. As we’ve seen in the past. White will go up against bigger guys, and although he doesn’t always fair well in these encounters, at least he shows heart and is a battler through and through. He’s exactly what several on the team aren’t, and we appreciate his giving his all. (Gudbranson is 6’3, White 6′).

That was only the first period, after looking fairly good for awhile, but we knew they’d blow it. That’s what they do. If they didn’t I would’ve been almost disappointed.

Peter Budaj was in nets, and although it wasn’t an outstanding performance by the guy, who can blame him for screened shots and the fact that it must be incredibly difficult to come in cold again after only playing a handful of game all season. How can a backup get in a zone when he’s always on the bench? I don’t blame Budaj. He’s only played in eight games.

Surely something has to happen now, with the Three Wise Men in attendance and the boys falling flat on their faces. Something better happen. How much longer are these geniuses going to put us through this ridiculous ringer? They’re there now, they’re chatting probably as we speak, and let’s just hope a surfer doesn’t slip a love drug in their pina coladas.

Random Notes:

Nest game is Tuesday when the team makes the trek over to the other side of the state of Florida to visit the Tampa Bay Lightning. This gives Geoff Molson the better part of two days to listen to Gauthier and Gainey suck up to him.

Shots on goal – Florida 32, Habs 20

Habs mentioned lately as changing teams soon include Travis Moen, Andrei Kostitsyn, and Tomas Plekanec. You have to ask yourself – is Ryan White enough to provide all toughness required? Having two who don’t mind the heavy going would be nice, and I’d like to see Moen stay. I’d like Plekanec to remain a Hab too. He’s had too many quiet moments this season, but he’s a great player and would probably come back to kill us on a regular basis. Kostitsyn can leave. I’m tired of seeing a few good moves out of this guy only every five games or so.

It’s just too bad Scott Gomez’s name isn’t coming up more often, but we know the situation. I say buy him out and be done with it.

Geoff Molson. Gone. Anyone who is part of a monster brewery and charges nine bucks for a can of beer at the Bell Centre isn’t part of my team. And anyone who owns a Montreal Canadiens team that allows things to spiral out of control is, yes, outta here.

Kevin Gilmour, Executive VP and CEO. Whatever it is you do, the team sucks. You’re gone.

Pierre Gauthier, Executive VP and GM. We know what you do, and the team sucks. You’re gone.

Fred Steer, Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer. How many freakin Executive Vice Presidents do we need? And because you’re the financial guy, maybe you’re responsible for the nine buck beer.

Dr. David Mulder. You and the other docs – Lenczner, Lacroix, and Desjardins are safe for now, only because I need you until I get your replacement in here – Dr. Barrie McDonald, my doc in Powell River, who got rid of my arthritis.

Dr. John Little, eye doctor. Most of the guys can’t hit the net so guess what. Their eyesight must suck. Didn’t you notice?

As owner, I’ll be directing my new management staff to keep Carey Price, Erik Cole, (of course), Max Pacioretty, David Desharnais, Lars Eller, (if only because he scored that beauty of a shootout goal), PK Subban, (although I had to toss that one around a bit), Travis Moen (because we need at least some toughness), Josh Gorges, Louis Leblanc, Rene Bourque, and Alexei Emelin. Everyone else can leave as soon as possible. Too many long slumps, too many disappearing acts, too many mistakes, and a really, really lousy power play.

I hate to see people lose their jobs, but after that soulless display against Buffalo, things had to change. Am I ever glad they said we are all owners.

If you’ve read my blog, you’ve probably seen Marjo’s name, as she comments quite often about the state of the game and the Habs. She’s a delight, and is a most excellent part of the family here. I’ve already offered her a management position when I own the team. I’m thinking “President Of Making The Organization Even Classier Than It Is” if she doesn’t mind.

Marjo emailed me the other day with a little story, and I asked her if it would be okay if I posted it. She said fine, so here goes:

“My two boys play hockey (one Atom and the other Peewee (and if I can add, these games are very often more exciting than the NHL)). Anyway, we were at my son’s Peewee game last night and I had to call up a goalie from another team (I manage my boys’ teams) because our goalie got stricken with a bad case of acute asthma which landed him in the hospital for two days (awful). Anyhow, walking into the arena, there was Geoff Molson! I came close to bombarding him with the usual questions he’s probably being bombarded with these days, but chose to respect his privacy. Besides, surely he was there to watch his kid play.

Later, I called our goalie’s mom to see how he was doing in the hospital and she said Moen, Subban and Desharnais came to his room for a visit (the Habs visited the children’s hospital yesterday) and he was cherished with autographs and gifts…

Also, every Sunday night I play hockey for a women’s team down the street. A couple of months ago, I was ordering a drink upstairs and standing beside me was this guy that looked very familiar. I said to him: ” For a minute I though you were Jaroslav Spacek!” and with a thick accent, he said: ” I AM JAROSLAV SPACEK!”. I asked him when he was going back to work and he said tomorrow. That was when he returned after being injured the first time….I see him pretty regularly every Sunday night, same time. His kid takes a powerskating class.

It’s possible that Gary Bettman and his clan won’t be able to fix the woes of the NHL. Brendan Shanahan, Bill Daly, Mike Murphy, Colin Campbell, the owners and the rest of those guys in Armani suits who run things might try but it’ll be tough.

Via Rail, Air Canada, and Geoff Molson have given it a shot, probably to no avail, and the cops have better things to do.

Readers weigh in with solutions but it’s still a dead end.

In fact, there’s only one man I can think of who can take care of business. One man who doesn’t fool around, who scares the hell out of me and Jack Schitt and the cat. One man who fights dirty, pulls hair, and kicks people in the nuts. A man who has friends in the big house and who ruins my day on a regular basis.

Max has apparently been released from hospital as reported in Habs Inside/Out, and shouldn’t this photo, which has been making the rounds (and sent from Mike W. and much appreciated), be the final word on whether the gorilla intended to do this deed or not?

Police are investigating and the Black Day continues.

And this, a letter from Geoff Molson:

Letter from Geoff Molson to Canadiens fans

Thursday, 10.03.2011

Montreal Canadiens

Dear Fans,

I would like to thank you all for your comments and support as the Pacioretty family, and our entire organization, deal with this difficult situation. I share your frustration, disappointment and shock. I feel for Max, the team and you, our fans.

Max, on behalf of my family, fans and all who are associated with this great organization, rest assured that we are all behind you and hope for a full recovery.

The Montreal Canadiens is an institution that has played a leadership role in this League and in our community for over 100 years, and you can count on us to continue to do so in the future. The news of the NHL decision yesterday was a hard blow for both the players and fans of the Montreal Canadiens. It was one which shook the faith that we, as a community, have in this sport that we hold in such high regard.

The Montreal Canadiens organization does not agree with the decision taken yesterday by the National Hockey League. We can assure you that we have made our position clear to Commissioner Gary Bettman, and that he has agreed to make this issue a priority at the next General Manager’s meeting, which will be held in Florida on March 14-16. Pierre Gauthier, our General Manager, will be present at this meeting and has already expressed his wish to carry out, clearly, our message to his 29 counterparts and to the League.

Our organization believes that the players’ safety in hockey has become a major concern, and that this situation has reached a point of urgency. At risk are some of the greatest professional athletes in the world, our fan base and the health of our sport at all levels. Players’ safety in hockey must become the ultimate priority and the situation must be addressed immediately. As a proud father of three hockey players, I want to help create a healthy and safe experience for them, and I certainly never want any family to go through what the Pacioretty’s are experiencing at this moment.

We understand and appreciate hockey being a physical sport, but we do not accept any violent behavior that will put the players’ health and safety at risk. On this specific issue, I am asking for the support of the 29 other NHL owners, to address urgently this safety issue. And I am willing to play a leadership role in coordinating this group effort.

You are the best fans in the league, and I am proud to have you behind us. Both the team and Max need your support now more than ever. A solid playoff run is just around the corner and we are counting on you to carry us deep into the spring!